A Comparative Analysis of Question Formation in English and Bukavu Swahili

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative syntactic analysis of question formation in English and Bukavu Swahili within the framework of Theoretical Generative Grammar. Focusing on yes-or-no questions and wh-questions, the study examines how interrogative structures are derived in both languages through phrase structure rules, movement operations, and morphological strategies. English is shown to rely on obligatory syntactic movement, notably subject–auxiliary inversion and wh-movement to the specifier of CP, to encode interrogativity. In contrast, Bukavu Swahili, a regional variety of Swahili spoken in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, employs a more flexible system in which interrogative meaning is frequently expressed through verbal morphology, question particles, and intonation, with wh-movement remaining optional. Adopting a qualitative-descriptive methodology based on library research, elicited sentences, and natural speech data, the study highlights key typological differences between the two languages and evaluates their implications for Universal Grammar and parameterization of movement. The findings further demonstrate how structural differences in question formation may lead to negative transfer among native speakers of Bukavu Swahili learning English as a foreign language. The paper therefore underscores the importance of contrastive and form-focused instruction in English language teaching in the Bukavu context and contributes to broader discussions in comparative syntax and applied linguistics.